Piketon's Zach Farmer drives during a Division III district semifinal in 2011-12 against Portsmouth.

Adena

? In 2011-12 1-17, eighth in the Scioto Valley Conference, lost in sectional semifinal.

? Key returners Tyler Cory, Ben Thomas.

? Newcomers Michael Bryant, Johnathon Thomas.

? Outlook It was a rebuilding 2011-12 for the Warriors. All told, it wasn't as bad as the record might indicate. This season should be another step forward.

Cory has proven to be a scorer in the past, and they get Bryant, who averaged almost a double-double as a sophomore before skipping in 2011-12, back, which should do nothing but improve things offensively.

Thomas already has opened eyes, and he's just a freshman. There's still some steps to be taken to close the gap between Adena and the top of the league. But if last year is any indication, it's that Smith certainly has the Warriors going in the right direction.

Huntington

Huntington

? Coach Travis Rinehart.

? In 2011-12 15-6, finished third in SVC, lost in district semifinal.

? Key returners Brice Vickers, Brian Hall, Jake Kellough.

? Newcomers Lucas Sarver, Elijah Shanks, David Shoemaker.

? Outlook Experience is all that separates this year's team from 2011-12.

But that's hard to replace.

"Basically, we're a completely different team with Dylan (Gragg) in the paint and the Campbell twins (Blake and Brendon)," Rinehart said. "We lack some experience and leadership on the floor, so some kids are going to have to step up and take on new roles for this team."

One of the new roles will go to Vickers, who will be the focal point of the offense. Outside of that, success, which for Rinehart means another trip to the Convo, will come down to how the team handles the adjustments.

"I think anytime a team makes a trip to the Convo and it was their primary goal, they can hang it up once they've been there. These kids will hopefully put an emphasis on not only getting there again, but winning while we're down there."

Paint Valley

Paint Valley

? Outlook The roster features five seniors, two of which didn't play basketball in 2011-12. With Stratton as the lone returning starter, the Bearcats have lots of spots to fill in as Shoemaker returns to lead the team. Sophomore Mason McCloy will be counted on as a presence under the basket, and the same goes for freshman point guard McFadden. Those two are expected to see much playing time.

"It's a new system," Shoemaker said. "And it's a new way of thinking for the kids. It's going to take some time."

Paint Valley isn't unrealistic about its chances, but has its goals set based on the way the preseason has gone.

"If we can improve every three weeks the way we have improved over the last three weeks, we're going to be just fine," Shoemaker said.

The Bearcats' keys to success are pretty simple.

"The first thing is, we're going to have to play good defense," Shoemaker said. "Offensively, you can have an off night, but you have to be ready to play defense every time you go out. The second thing is, we have to take care of the basketball and get good shots. We're not going to be able to run up and down the floor with some of these teams in the SVC, so we've got to keep things under control."

? Outlook Most of the eyes in the SVC will be on the Redstreaks at the start of this season, as the school's presence continues to grow. Piketon was a state top-5 team two years ago, then blew through most of the league schedule in 2011-12 for a co-championship with Unioto. It's a good bet the Redstreaks has their eyes set on this season as the payoff for a long buildup with a long tournament run on the radar.

Southeastern

Southeastern

? Coach Kyle Uhrig.

? In 2011-12 13-9, finished fourth in SVC, lost in district semifinal.

? Key returners Dylan Miles, Nick Kellough, Austin Hice.

? Newcomers Jake Skeens, Tyler Cartee.

? Outlook This year's Panthers will look different than the one in 2011-12. But this team is hoping to replicate the same kind of season - one that puts the team back at Ohio University's Convocation Center.

"A huge stepping stone for our program was getting back to the Convo last year," Uhrig said. "This school has a huge basketball tradition, and that was something we needed to get back to and let the kids know how important it is, not only for the program, but for the community."

The team will miss the presence of Michael Brown (17 points, 11 rebounds) in the paint. It will be a change of pace for Southeastern, which will have to be more up-tempo and less low-post.

"It's going to be a different basketball team and it's going to take awhile for us to get to the point where we can play the way we want to play," Uhrig said. "Last year we had size, and this year we have really good guard play, so it might have to be a more up-tempo kind of team."

The Shermans do return Detillion, who was one rebound shy of averaging a double-double in 2011-12, and could be the league's most potent post player now that Huntington's Dylan Gragg has moved on. Arledge can keep defenses honest with his outside shot, which can help and be helped by guys such as Detillion and Hosley underneath.

The biggest key will be finding a replacement for four-year point guard Cole Murray. While Unioto's has plenty of talent in the front court with guys such as Nick Overly, Downs and Strange, replacing a court general such as Murray doesn't happen overnight. Unioto should have enough depth and talent throughout to make another run at the SVC title.

WAVERLY TIGERS

? Coach Travis Robertson.

? In 2011-12 18-6, finished second in SOC II, lost in regional semifinal

? Outlook There are big shoes to fill for the Tigers. Then again, this team has had big shoes to fill before. They've always risen to occasion.

"We've had some pretty good success over the past few years," Robertson said. "That kind of builds a culture."

Of course, a lot of the success of the past few years left with Jake Kretzer; which could make this year's shoesharder to fill. But not impossible.

"I think the first part of the season is where we're going to search for our identity," Robertson said. "We're going to be solid offensively, but defensively we're going to have to be sound. This year, I think we're a little deeper and a little faster, but we're going to have to be a blue-collar kind of team and we're going to for everything we get."

? Outlook: "We're very fortunate," first-year coach Carson said. "We have some good athletes on this team. But we're trying to take that athleticism and mold it into where we want it basketball-wise."

Westfall might be one of the few youth-movement teams in the SVC that doesn't have trouble scoring this year.

"We're getting good looks at the basket right not," Carson said. "I think the points are going to come."

Westfall's defense will try to keep things simple.

"This is my eighth year overall, and I think a lot of times people try to overcomplicate things," Carson said. "You just have to try to keep the other team from scoring, and you have to try to be in the best position you can to score. We feel like the defense is there."

Zane Trace

Zane Trace

? Coach Bryan Alley.

? In 2011-12 11-12, lost in district semifinals.

? Key returner Wes Beam.

? Newcomers "We're pretty young, let's just put it that way," Alley said. "We've got one senior, four juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen."

On top of that, the Pioneers figure to start one of those freshmen, and lean on another one as the first or second guy off the bench.

? Outlook As far as experience goes, juniors Conner Smith and Tyler Hinty are back after seeing some time in 2011-12, along with sophomore Eric Hutton.

"Out of my 12, four of them have varsity experience," Alley said. "We're a young team, and the one thing you're going to have to go through is mental mistakes."

With the team's limited experience around the basket, the one thing the Pioneers will have to do is grow up fast at guard.

"There's no doubt about that," Alley said. "But the one thing I like about this group is that they're all extremely coachable. They have a lot of basketball sense about them, but they're also willing to learn."

Alley expects one thing , even through the growing pains.

"All 12 of my kids play their butts off," he said. "Some nights you're not going to be able to shoot the ball, but the thing you can always do is play hard."

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Boys basketball preview: SVC/SOC capsules

Get ready for tonight's season openers in boys basketball with our season previews for area teams.